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troisroues.com |
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According to the WHO,
280.000 users of motorized two and three-wheelers die each year on the roads
worldwide. The risk of being killed in an accident is on average 20 times
higher for a user of this type of vehicle than for a motorist. |
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In France alone, there have had 660 deaths
among motorcyclists in 2014, 165 among moped riders, and thousands
injured. Cumulatively, the motorized two-wheelers totaled
23% of road deaths while motorcyclists, to name only them, represent only
1.5% of the traffic. Numerous hazards await the two-wheeler
users, whose main purchase motivations are an access to a fluid and
economically affordable mobility, and some driving fun for those who choose
powerful motorbikes. The counterparty generally well understood is a high
exposure to risk. Well understood or sometimes undergone because in many low-
and middle-income countries, two-wheelers are often the only way of transport
of the family. If they only represent a small share of the vehicle fleet in
France, this is not the case everywhere. In Colombia, for example, they
represent 45% of motor vehicles in
circulation, 60% in China and 80% in India. In these
countries where road deaths is growing each year, the two-wheeler users pay a
heavy price: 3,500 deaths in Colombia, about 70,000 in China and India. Not
to mention the number of often seriously injured users, for which it is
difficult to obtain accurate data, but who are probably 10 times those
numbers. Road safety is a real and dramatic public health problem worldwide. |
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One thing is certain: primary (active) and secondary
safety systems (passive) of motorized two-wheelers have not reached the level
of maturity of the automobiles ones. To maintain real the intrinsic benefits
of the two and three-wheeled motorized and reduce the risks associated with
their use, and the consequential injuries to a shock or a fall, Torga is experimenting different paths of safety
improvement. In particular the aim is to complete the range of currently
available devices (equipment for the driver and the passenger, airbag on the
vehicle or integrated into the vest or the jacket) while providing new
benefits, especially in term of comfort, in order to reach sustainable
“mobility and pleasure” on two and three-wheelers. |
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The weak points of the two-wheeled
vehicles: Primary
safety: - Difficulty
to stop the vehicle in emergency braking (even with ABS) -
Sensitivity on low grip surfaces -
Difficult to change trajectory quickly in emergency situations Secondary
safety: - Poor
level of the user’s equipment (gloves, boots, jacket with or without airbag,
and still sometimes helmet) - Airbag on vehicle
optional |
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Because in a frontal impact, the
ejection speed of the driver of a two-wheeler is the same as the initial
speed of his vehicle, while a big part of the kinetic energy could be
dissipated, and the speed of the user during the impact with the obstacle
reduced, the Torga project aims to couple the driver and passenger
with the vehicle. |
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Current situation – No coupling with the frame During a crash at 50 km/h between a motorbike and an
automobile, the driver of the two-wheeler is ejected at 50 Km/h while his
vehicle undergoes a very high deceleration, generally inducing an uprising of
the rear wheel. If the shock occurs at the front hood of the car,
the driver is usually ejected over a distance of up to 10 or 15 meters,
causing fractures and burns. If the shock occurs at the highest part of the
obstacle, the driver suffers major injuries, the most serious of which
affecting the vertebrae, the ribs and the pelvis. |
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Coupling with the frame In the case where the driver of the
two-wheeler is coupled with the vehicle thanks to a seat belt for example, he
benefits from the absorption of energy provided by the deformation of the
front frame. His speed is notably reduced when the rear wheel leaves the
ground. At this point, the speed is 30 km/h for a
small scooter and less than 10 km/h for a heavy motorcycle *. This is a
reduction of 20 and more than 40 km / h, respectively. * excluding bio-mechanical stresses |
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With programmed restraint Because the coupling increases the tendency
of the vehicle to the uprising in its shock phase and that at some point it is
necessary to disconnect the user of the vehicle to avoid him the risk of
being crushed, Torga is testing a
“programmed restraint” system. This system reacts according to the type of
stress to which the vehicle is subjected: front shock, side or rear crash,
fall etc ... |
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With
programmed restraint and "survival cell” Because
regardless of the equipment of the user, it is necessary to improve the level
of his protection during the ejection phase and the shock that follows, Torga
is testing a "survival cell" that is made of a set “fairing –
rollbar - seat” that protects him from the beginning to the end of the shock.
The fairing couples the driver to the chassis. It plays the role of a shield and
is made of a damping and abrasion resistant material. |
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With
programmed restraint, "survival cell" and airbag The
driver’s protection is complemented by an airbag whose deployment is
coordinated with the decoupling of the "survival cell". Its main
mission is to reduce the intensity of the shock between the driver's head and
the obstacle that is percussed. |
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The combination of the programmed
restraint, that reduces the speed of the user at the moment of impact, with
the "survival cell" equipped or not with an airbag has the effect
of reducing the risk of injury of the user. |
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The graph below shows in ordinate the
ejection speed of the driver (in km/h) depending on the speed of
his vehicle at impact, and the type of two-wheeler used. |
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The
fairing can take various shapes. Although its primary purpose is to increase
protection in case of accident, it also improves comfort in "normal"
driving. In particular, it protects against the weather, mainly if it is
equipped with an apron on its outskirts. It also reduces the wind pressure on
the bust and helps to reduce aerodynamic drag. The apron meanwhile protects
the lower limbs in case of impact. |
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This approach applies to two-wheelers and "more."
For the three-wheeled, Torga proposes an architecture with two rear
wheels (1F3T) that is more compatible with a "feet forward"
position of the driver than an architecture with two front wheels (2F3T) and
more relevant to the shock absorption. This architecture offers a high potential in primary safety
since it extends the ability of a tilting three-wheeler to reduce the risk of
falls in curves. Finally, on the basis of the works done on the prototypes “Pulsar”, Torga is
also testing a "dynamic tilt control" to facilitate and boost the
changes of trajectory, especially those in emergency situations. |
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Torga is a research project that aims
to improve the safety of "two wheelers" at all levels. It proposes
to supply technical responses to this issue while improving comfort features
and the driving pleasure. However, these solutions ask for a new paradigm in
the world of two wheelers. The questionnaire
enclosed is to help define the contours of a sustainable “mobility and
pleasure” on two and three wheels. Secondly,
Torga will focus on the propulsion modes able to marry sustainable pleasure,
respect of the environment and preservation of the planet's resources. |
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